Year 13 student business studies student Renz Alvez is on track towards a bright future in business after his recent 2nd place in the Entrepreneurs in Action event held in Wellington last month. Renz was one of 80 students who were chosen from 4000 nationwide to compete in the event.

Entrepreneurs in Action (EIA) is an annual event where the countries top Young Enterprise students compete in two back to back business challenges over 48 hours. The students were randomly assigned to groups who then had to apply their business knowledge to solving real-world business problems. The groups then had to pitch their solutions to the judges in a presentation. This year, the students had to look at how students can be convinced to pursue tourism as a career, by studying it in higher numbers at secondary school. With a proposed Covid-19 vaccine coming next year, it is predicted that by 2025 New Zealand would need 25 – 30,000 workers in the tourism sector.

Renz said that his group’s plan revolved around making the subject more aligned with opportunities in the tertiary sector. “Our plan was called H.O.T – Hands On Tourism,” he explained. “We want to change (tourism standards) from unit standards to achievement standards making it more appealing to students going to university.”

Renz was in a team with students from all over New Zealand who he had never met before. It was a quick learning curve, as the students had to find a way to work together, as well as trying to solve the problem they had been assigned.

“It was very hard and very complex. I had to step it up. You’re competing against the best of the best and you are in a group with the best of the best,” Renz said.

The team’s second placing out of 18 teams, would indicate that Renz more than held his own. Renz puts this down to the ability of his group to work as a team.

“(We succeeded) because of how we delivered our pitch and how we worked as a group and did not give in to the stress. It is pretty much about teamwork,” Renz said.

For their efforts, the group won an AJ Hackett Bungy jump, which they hope to use together by meeting up later in the year. Renz also won a $1000 scholarship to Massey University.

Renz’s business studies teacher, Murray King was full of praise for his enterprising student.

“Renz is the third student that we’ve had go away to this competition. The last one was Ben Seelan, who went on and represented New Zealand at the International competition in America, came second and won $3000 dollars. Renz is of that Caliber. If they had been selecting a team to travel, he would’ve been there or thereabouts,” Mr King said. “He has a real passion. Once he gets his teeth into something and he believes in it, he’s in boots and all. He has really high expectations, and he drives the members of his group to do their very best. It’s just his enthusiasm.”

“It’s not all about profit for Renz,” Mr King continued. He gave the example of when a recent opportunity to sell at the Saturday market fell through, Renz was ready to look for alternative solutions. “He suggested we try and have a thing where we get hold of all the CEOS of the local schools who are doing business studies, and we’ll try and have a school market day where we can all show off our what we are doing.”

“He thinks little bit apart from just the profit side of it which I think is great,” Mr King said.

Next year, Renz is planning to go to university to study management or entrepreneurship.